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New bulbs are on order, good fertiliser is on order, brain has started to become more engaged in the process.

19th October, I took advantage of some free time to do a 50% WC and tidy up. Rounded up the out of control weeds, though they are staying in the tank for now, disposed to the accused houseplant (!) and mowed the lawn. Did a big gravel vacuum along the back areas where I rarely go, about 20% of tank in depth vacuumed.

Doing a major water-change and cleaning up the extra plants is what you need to keep doing to maintain a crystal clear tank.
Getting new bulbs will only help keep the algae under control. But knowing how long to keep the lights on for is essential. 8 hours max. if the tank doesn't get any direct sunlight. If the sun does shine on the tank during the day, keep the curtains closed on that window until the sun is shining elsewhere.
Your tank is looking good after all your work. Keep it up and you'll have that bargaining chip well in hand.

New bulbs in today - a life-Glo to replace the old power-glo and new Arcadia FO18 to replace the old one which may or may not have been reaching the end of its spectrum life. Also installed a timer a few days ago, so we're now on a strict 8 hour light cycle starting at noon. Some ambient light from windows (nothing direct) in morning, but pitch black all night after lights out.

5 young guppies went to their new homes today so stocking is back on track. Neon tetras are starting to look a bit old; how long to they live? I got them "second hand" about a year ago and they were a couple years old at that point according to guy who gave them to me.

- I cleaned all the algae off one of the decorations so that I could keep an eye on regrowth and so far it has stayed clean. Water looks good, params are good, fish are healthy. Some new plant growth which is looking a bit less yellow ... So far, so good!

Most exciting, however, I won a new tank on Ebay. £60 for a 200L with stand. It's a nice shape than mine, slightly bigger (mine is 130L) and so in the next few weeks I will be starting the upgrade. Plan is to start from scratch, so will be running both tanks for a couple of months while I start growing plants and buying pretty new things for the new one. :)

New lights look different, fish are a nicer colour, so I guess they were no longer pefect!

Glad to read about your progress Soot. A new tank always gets one cranked up with all the possibilities, awesome win.
I have had Neons live for over 6 years in my tanks and I have heard of others who have had them longer. But one never knows how old they really are if you weren't present when the eggs hatched.
Are you going to add another filter to the old tank? The reason I mention that is; adding a filter to an existing cycled aquarium will start a colony of beneficial bacteria in that filters media. That being said, you will be able to transfer that filter to your new set-up (when it's ready), and add a few fish right away. Be careful not to over stock the new tank immediately though as the BB colony in that filter may not be able to handle too much waste all at once.
I'm glad the new lights are working their magic. Nothing nicer then new tires on your car or bulbs for your tank.

I have two filters in the old tank already. I also own a tiny internal one. Was thinking about popping that into the new tank when it arrives, just to keep water circulating/etc, while the plants start to grow. Then move my trusty old neons + guppies + old filter when the plants have started looking good ... And then move the rest of the livestock + the second filter over a few weeks after if everything is looking positive.

will be using new substrate so a lot of BB will be lost so am going to take my time. There is no rush, don't mind running two tanks for a couple of months :)

Soooo my new tank has been up and running for a week. New lights, newly sealed, it's all functional TOUCH WOOD!

... but only with about 10cm of water and no filter/etc ... I have the new substrate down - ended up treating myself to a black substrate. Would have gone with the sand as recommended here, but my heart just went for the black and could only find fine gravel for that. Some of the gravel from the old tank is underneath at the back as well to bulk it up a bit. Also got some white sand in the middle. It's very art deco at the moment, though a bit Fail on the Aquascape side.

Have transferred over the healthiest sags and some moss ... waiting on some java fern to make bogwood decor + some other plantsplants, then will begin the mass planting of the far corner. I want a JUNGLE. Probably another Aquascape Fail, but I like the wilderness. Just need to learn to have controlled wilderness like some people here seem to achieve!

.... Will see what the next few weeks bring. Got a slight problem at the moment = not enough electric near the tanks, so lights are an issue. Can't run anything together as it trips the fuse ... ugh, more to think about until the changeover!

Be very careful not to overload your electrical circuits. I hate it when there is only one outlet for my tank. I ran another circuit from the breaker box up near the tank before I started with it just for that type of reason. A pain at the time but it paid off.

Good tip ... unfortunately bit stuck at the moment. One tank is fine, but two is not a good idea ...

When we have a new kitchen done in a few years I will ensure that we have a lot more outlets as I do have "space" on my fuseboard. But with concrete floors and on the "wrong" side of some doors it won't be easy to just add outlets.

After nearly losing my fish overnight yesterday due to the fuse blowing again, I made the decision to transfer everything today. I moved the bogwood decorations, slates, some plants + both filters. Then all the fish and shrimp.

Not how I had it all planned :( but I just had not anticipated the plug overload problems and due to the tank location, there was no way to get additional corner into that corner. 36 hours later, so far, so good. I haven't fed in the new tank yet, nothing has died (yet), everything is exploring the new hidey holes ... Parameters were good today but did a 50%WC change just in case. Same again tomorrow. The only thing that didn't move over was the gravel from the old tank. Am expecting mini-cycle and hoping it's something we can ride out.

Changed my photoperiods to 3 hours morning + 3 hours evening following advice in Planted Tank. Also means I will be able to see my tank when I'm home. Need darker curtains now for the window but as it's winter it's not a big problem yet!

I guess I should really have this journal deleted. It's not much of a journal!!!